Dr. Saotome (New)
Dr. Saotome is the leading researcher in Getter Rays and the creator of the Getter Robo. He is the father of Tatsuhito and Michiru Saotome. Background Dr. Saotome worked on the prototype of the Getter Robo with his son Tatsuhito piloting it. When the Getter Rays beneath the Institute started to react to the reactor in the robot however, Saotome cut the power before Tatsuhito could be consumed. Realizing a threat coming, Dr. Saotome decides to find new pilots that can handle the power of Getter Rays to fight against the threat. Appearance Dr. Saotome is based on his other counterparts as an old man with a short yet broad stature, a beard, and wears a white lab coat with a tie and geta. As a younger man, Dr. Saotome stood taller with dark brown hair and a mustache. Personality Dr. Saotome has a sharp tongue, quick to berate those that think differently than his ideals including his daughter. He is rather self-centered and a little paranoid about what threats might come, putting more faith into the Getter Rays than anything else. However he does possess affection for his family, with his worst memories of Tatsuhito (the test of the Getter prototype, his transformation into an Oni, and his death at Dr. Saotome's hands) haunting him nearly every day. Abilities Dr. Saotome is a highly accomplished scientist in the fields of energy, biology, and robotics. With the Getter Robo and the Getter Rays the centerpieces of his research, Dr. Saotome has the best understanding of the Getter Rays and its effects including how they the Oni. For a while Dr. Saotome piloted the Bear Getter Machine and Getter-3 of the Getter Robo; but unlike the other pilots, he lacked the constitution to handle the pressure for long periods of time due to his old age. At times Dr. Saotome seems to actually communicate with the Getter Rays and know what path it wants to take for future events. History Knowing about the threat of the Oni, Dr. Saotome strives to find the pilots who can pilot the Getter Robo. He found his first candidate with the street fighter Ryoma Nagare and even tested him with hired thugs. After bringing Ryoma to the Institute, Dr. Saotome and his family had a run in with Oni. Barely escaping the institute while burning his son Tatsuhito alive, Ryoma joins the institute full in while Dr. Saotome earns scorn from his daughter Michiru. Next he recruits the terrorist Hayato Jin who had sought out information about the Getter Rays. Finally while crashing, Dr. Saotome recruits the monk Benkei Musashibō to be the final pilot. As the battles with the Oni continue, Dr. Saotome seems to get baffled about their appearances including how a city is found in Lake Biwa and ancient technology starts to turn up. Three years after the Getter Robo disappeared in battle, Dr. Saotome had often went into the lower levels of the old Saotome Lab with the older models of the Getter Robo as Getter Ray particles flare up. At times he even shares these moments with Hayato when he comes down. By the time the Four Heavenly Kings appear, Dr. Saotome opens the valve hosting the concentrated Getter Rays to give the Getter Team a needed power-up against them while being consumed by them in the process.Category:New Getter Robo Characters Category:Saotome Institute